Boil peeled or scraped new potatoes with a little saffron in the water, dress with a little butter and then toss with steamed or boiled samphire and a little lemon juice and dress with a little x v o oil. Lovely as a warm potato salad or as a bed for scallops. Earthy spuds; smoky saffron; salty, fresh samphire - lovely!
Use as a garnish for creamy, velvety soups - leek & potato, etc.
Nice tossed with warm asparagus in a salad - although you'll have to be sharp to match the seasons up!

I have a jar I bought in France - do those same methods work with preserved samphire?

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I didn't even know you could get preserved samphire. Is it preserved in a brine, H?
Thanks for the ideas, Nick. Sound much more exciting than what I normally do with it!
Can't wait to try them - I adore samphire...

You can buy it from good fishmongers in season and also in Waitrose, at the fish counter.
It can also be picked. Marsh samphire is the nicest, but rock samphire is more easily found and gathered (although dangling off cliffs can get a bit hairy!). Some rock samphire is unpalatably bitter - we picked some once on a holiday in South East Ireland - and it was inedible..
The marsh samphire grows in saltmarsh esturaries - it grows on the Hamble River, which is within walking distance of my house, but you need a boat to gather it - something I don't have!
I think most samphire in this country is imported from France.

I have a jar I bought in France - do those same methods work with preserved samphire?

Click to expand...

Just looked this up, apparently you should use it as you would cornichons (raclette/terrine or charcuterie accompaniment) or to aromatise oils or vinegars.
Never eaten it myself, but apparently if very young, it's best eaten raw. In full season now, so might go to the beach and see if I can find some!